Vehicle-spring.



G. M. HUSTON.

VEHICLE SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1912.

1,032,335, Patented July 9, 1912.

GEORGE M. HUSTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Application filed April 18, 1912. Serial No. 691,651.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen M. I-IUsroN,

a citizen of the United States, residingat New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Vehicle- Springs; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to vehicle springs, and has for its object certainimprovements in the construction disclosed in an application for LettersPatent, filed by me April 3, 1912, Serial No. 688,826, as will behereinafter more particularly described and claimed, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved construction shown appliedto a vehicle axle and body, said axle being shown in section. Fig. 2 isa similar view in detail illustrating a slightly modified form ofattachment of the spring to the vehicle.

In the said drawing the reference numeral' 1 denotes one of the axles ofan automobile or other vehicle, the same being shown I-shaped in crosssection, though it may be of any configuration. Bolted to said axle at 2is a plate 3, the same having formed integral therewith an arm 4depending at each side of said axle, as shown. Bolted or otherwise fixedto said plate 3 is a leaf spring 5, formed of any desired number ofleaves, and projecting equidistant transversely to each side of the axle1, said spring being curved downwardly and inwardly at its outer ends 6,for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Pivotally connected at 7 toeach free end of said spring 5 is a rigid bar or shackle 8 preferablyslightly curved upwardly at its inner end and provided along its lengthwith a plurality of bolt receiving apertures 9, said bar being shownpivotally connected at its inner end at 10 with the lower end of one ofthe arms 4 of plate 3. Pivotally connected to said shackle 8, throughthe bolt holes or apertures 9 are the ends of a series of spring leaves11, the same sweeping therefrom upwardly in the arcs of circles andbeing conjointly connected to the body 12 of the vehicle at a point 13directly above the axle 1, said leaves extending in similarconfiguration downwardly again to the shackle 8 on the opposite side ofaxle 1. I prefer to graduate the thickness of said leaves 11, theoutermost being thickest and the innermost the thinnest. Also attachedto the shackle 8 on each side through one of the bolt holes 9 is asupplemental spring leaf 17 curved similarly to leaves 11 and being of alength to reach and pass through the clips 14, the same being eachformed with a shoulder 18 adapted to engage the clip 14 to limitlongitudinal movement of said leaf therethrough.

The operation is the same as that described in my applicationhereinbefore referred to. That is to say, any shock imparted to the axle1 from the wheels of the vehicle will cause a relative movement of theouter ends of leaf spring 5 downwardly with respect to said axle, and acorresponding downward movement of the outer ends of shackles 8 on theirpivots 10, the curved configuration at 6 of said leaf springs freelypermitting this movement. In consequence the lower ends of leaves 11 arecarried downward in varying degrees according to the distances of theirpoints of attachment to shackles 8 from the pivots 10, the lighter innerleaf being carried farther than the outer heavier leaves. This resultsin a progressively increased area of contact between the faces of saidleaves from their common point of connection 13 with the vehicle bodytoward their separated points of connection with the shackles 8, whichwill vary in accordance with the shock imparted to axle 1, and as saidarea of contact increases, the rigidity of said leaves increasescorrespondingly to afford a progressive increase in the resistanceoffered to the shock, until the latter is completely absorbed.

It will be seen from the drawing that beginning at substantially thepoints where the clips 14 are located the leaves 11 are formed on thearcs of true circles of varying diameters, which construction permits oftheir accurately registering in progressive contact with each otherwhile absorbing shocks imparted to the axle 1.

The addition of the leaf 17 on each side, which can be readily insertedafter the device is positioned on the vehicle provides for carryingadditional loads, as when an automobile is to be used for touring andmuch additional weight is to be carried.

In order to afford additional stiffness to the spring leaves 11 betweenthe clips 14 and their point of connection 13 with the vehicle body, Iprovide an additional spring leaf 19 the same terminatingat the clips14, as shown.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a slightly modified construction, in which theends of the spring leaves 11 are clipped to the vehicle body 12 at twopoints 20, the uppermost leaf alone being extended between the two setsof leaves at 21. This connection of the two sets of leaves is solely forthe purpose of trans portation, and said part 21 may be cut away afterthe leaves are fastened at 20.

It will be understood that while I have shown the leaves 11 extended toopposite sides of the axle 1, my improved construction is equally asefiective and will operate in the same manner when said leaves aredisposed on one side only of said axle and terminate at the point- 13 onthe vehicle body, the shackle 8 and that portion of leaf spring 5 uponthe opposite side of axle 1 being of course also dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spring construction for vehicles, embodying a plurality ofsimilarly curved spring leaves fixed to one member in contact with eachother and gradually separating toward their points of connection withthe other member, a supplemental similarly curved leaf detachablyattached to said other leaves at, a point intermediate their length, anda common means for variably shifting the separated ends of all of saidleaves under relative movement of the parts.

2. A spring construction for vehicles, embodying a plurality ofsimilarly curved spring leaves fixed to one member in contact with eachother and gradually separating toward their points of connection withthe other member, a supplemental similarly curved leaf detachablyattached to said other leaves at a point intermediate their length, anda shackle to which said separated ends of all of said leaves areconnected which moves under relative movement of the members to impart aprogressively increasing shift to said ends of said leaves from theoutermost to the innermost. of said leaves.

3. A spring construction for vehicles, embodying oppositely disposedsets of similarly curved spring leaves each set being separately fixedto one member in contact with each other and gradually separating towardtheir points of connection with the other member, one of said leavesbeing extended to form a leaf common to anduniting the two sets ofleaves.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE M. HUSTON.

Witnesses:

PERCY B. HILLS, CHARLES LOWELL HOWARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

